Remembering You and I
by colorsOFtheINFINITEsky
Summary: Claire is living a humble life six years after Raccoon City, but a chain of strange events blasts her into the past, when she was an Anti-Umbrella operative, and right into the arms of an old friend. ClaireXLeon
1. Prologue: Her Life In A Nutshell

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This has been rewritten slightly, so bare with me. This whole story takes place slightly after RE 4

_-colorsOFtheINFINITEsky_

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He wasn't anything but a dear friend and ally to her until right at that moment, and it _should not have _bothered her at all. The whole awkwardness of it all still made it hard to shallow though; the pieces just didn't add up...and she feared...that they never would.

She shook the thought away. Of course a moment like that was awkward and strange, but it couldn't be helped on how wierd and out of the blue what he said was! So it was completely _piontless _to think about it.

"No more worries!" she said aloud to herself.

Claire quickly went quiet and looked towards the door, expecting at any moment that someone was going to walk in on her talking to herself. Thankfully, all was silent. She sighed with relief and kick herself mentally for being so careless.

_"Oh my god, I have to stop talking to myself."_

She got up from the desk chair where she had lounged in deep thought for the past hour and climbed into bed. The down pillow felt good under her hot face. She pulled the soft, cotton sheets (but not the comforter) around herself, turned off the side table lamp, and began to drift off.

Even though the summer heat wave was outside her window, somehow it found a way into the bedroom to smother her, leaving Claire no choice but to throw all the blankets to the floor. She still felt the stickiness of sweat running down her back and turned over so that she was staring at the ceiling. The small breeze from the cheap Lowe's ceiling fan did nothing to stifle the humid air surrounding her bed.

The hot night reminded her of her more youthful days as a member of the Underground that put an end to Umbrella. She remembered the intensity of each moment she spent running for her life in the sewers of Raccoon City with a tiny child at her heals and the frigid temperatures of Antarctica, of all places, where she fought for survival against a mad heiress plotting for global domination.

Before Raccoon City, she had been a struggling college student who just happened to love motorcycles, but now, she was a seasoned ex-Underground operative working as a secretary for humble pay and without all the excitement. The pay was good, and she still got to see her brother now and again, so she never questioned her fated path in life. Afterall, the secretary job was Chris's (her brother's) idea.

Still, the loneliness got to her sometimes.

But she was strong, a good friend once said, and she knew that somehow, she would conquer her anxiety for another person. There is a old saying that states 'Where there's a will, there's a way'. The only problem was: Did she still have that will to 'survive' anymore? Was that fire that attracted everyone to her in dire situations burnt out?

Claire bit her lower lip. She didn't want to think that being twenty-five had caused her to lose any of her old pazaz. It's not like a person's attributes vanish with every birthday, right? Of course not.

Besides, it wasn't like she was old, not yet anyway. So she could still date, go to night clubs, and live a fun-filled life. Yeah, and who, in their right mind, wants to get married at twenty-six? Claire shuddered at the thought like she was six years old and kissing boys was gross.

She rolled over onto her side and read the clock:

1:35.

_"Will I _ever _get to sleep? God, I gave to be somewhere tomorrow, and now I'm gonna be tired all damn day!"_

Claire closed her eyes hard in a vain effort to make herself sleep, but she didn't konk out until two hours later.


	2. Memories of You

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"So far away, been far away for far too long."

- "Far Away" Nickelback

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"Move your ass!"

Claire's road rage had reached an all time high that morning. Morning rush hour was a bitch and for some reason, it was super congested with traffic today.

"What is this, a funeral!? Let's go, dickhead!"

She leaned back against her seat and tried to breathe, but she was too angry to even think straight. Jill had to schedule Chris's surprise thirty-first birthday from freakin' sunrise to sunset. Did she not remember that she had to take the freeway clear across the state of California just to get to the house? Or maybe it was payback for not staying with her and Barry's wife, Lyn, to plan it. After the talk about how she was Chris's sister, and they _needed _her to be there to plan it, Claire had suddenly felt fatigued and nauseated. Chris had never done anything even close to that for her EVER, so she figured that Jill and Lyn could handle it. She wanted to pay him pack, but got screwed over in the process.

Claire rubbed her temple and made a mental note to _think _about her battle plans carefully next time. Just as she began to calm down, the car behind her blared its horn making her jump. Claire realized that the line had moved and felt dumb for getting distracted. She pulled up close to the car in front of her, and stopped again. At this rate, she figured the party would start (and end) without her. She smiled at the thought. Missing Chris's 'blowout' party didn't seem like such a bad thing, but bailing on her brother was against her values, so here she was sitting in traffic with a melting box of ice cream in the back seat. Besides, she figured she could charge him for the damages to her upholstery later.

* * *

Jill ran into the kitchen and shoved the cake in the freezer like it was on fire. She then put the party supplies away before instructing every one on what their itinerary was.

"Okay the plan is that we all hide behind something, and when he show up, we all yell 'Surprize!' on my count, okay?"

Everyone but Rebecca Chambers, a retires S.T.A.R.S. medic, nodded in agreement. "Are you going to count to three?"

"Yes, and then you scream 'Surprize'!"

"Okay, but do you scream it on three or after?"

Jill rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, dear, you'll know when to do it."

Rebecca blushed and Carlos Oliviara, Jill's ex-Umbrella operative friend, put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Do not fret, _sinorita_, if you yell at the wrong time and ruin the surprise, we will understand."

She elbowed him in the gut and then threw a well-manicured finger in his face.

"Don't you make fun of _me, _Carlos! I'm not as big a ditz as you want to believe; I spent just as much time trying to escape Umbrella's nightmare, as you did, mister!"

Barry walked over and patted Rebecca on the back. Her hot temper cooled quickly. "And you did a fantastic job against all those odds, Rebecca. That's why you're here with friends, celebrating being alive and having an opertunity to gather without Umbrella breathing down your neck."

"Amen", Jill responded.

Rebecca smiled and then patted Carlos on the back, "Even if Umbrella's not up in your business, you can count on Carlos to be!"

Barry laughed, "I'll drink to that!"

Carlos rubbed his stomach and asked, "We are even now, _senorita?_

"Sure, but you can apologize by getting me a drink, _seen-your_."

"Agreed, but promise not to hurt me?" He smiled at her sarcasm.

"Okay."

Jill walked over to the living room window, peered out into the driveway, and gasped.

"There will be no drinking if he isn't surprised! Hurry and hide; he's coming up the driveway!"

There was a mad scramble, some giggles, and a thud as someone hit the hard wood floor, but everyone was hidden before Chris out his key into the deadbolt. Barry and his two daughters hid behind the couch, while Jill and Lyn hid behind the kitchen doorway which faced the living room. Everyone else hid in various places like behind the curtains on the picture window and behind the entertainment center. Jill saw that everyone was hiding, but not all were accounted for. A key member of the party was extremely late, and severely wearing on her patients. Jill looked to the other people anxiously waiting to jump out and scream, and wished that Chris's sister were there with them. She hoped that Chris wouldn't be upset.

_"Dammit, Claire Redfield, why aren't you here yet?"_

She heard the knob turn and her focus went to the door as it opened and the man she loved walked through the threshold and into the darkened room.

* * *

Claire held her breath as she pulled into the driveway. She glanced down at the clock on the consul and realized she was forty-five minutes late. She swore under her breathe as she reached for the soggy box in the back seat.

_"God, I hope Jill isn't waiting with a knife, when I walk in."_

Claire jumped out of the car and jogged considerably fast for a woman in heels to the front door. After she almost ate it coming up on the front steps, she politely knocked on the door. She leaned over and peered past the huge curtain draped over the picture window to the party going on without her. Inside, she could see her brother laughing his familiar hearty laugh and see her niece and nephew giggling along with Barry's girls to some funny joke Rebecca said. Jill was screaming at the top of her lungs at Carlos who was hiding a bowl of chips behind his back and Barry and Lyn were chatting pleasantly with each other.

Suddenly, Claire felt like an outsider.

She knocked on the door again and expected no one to even hear her, let alone open the door. They were having fun, while she stood on the porch with a box of chocolate _slush. _Calire knew that Chris loved the new family he had with Jill and having the members of his S.T.A.R.S. clique with him , must have made the absence of his only sibling forgettable. She understood. They didn't talk as much as they used to, so it was expected that Chris would eventually drift away from her. Maybe she should just go home.

As she stepped off the porch (mindful of the step this time), the door creaked open slowly and a low voice asked, "Claire, that you? Man, I thought you'd never show!"

Claire turn around to face her brother, Chris Redfield, a seasoned air force and police officer, and smiled like she hadn't been thinking about leaving at all.

"Hey,um...I brought you something," She held up the box of ice cream and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Mmm, my favorite: chocolate _syrup." _Claire giggled as Chris took the box from her. "C'mon, let's get this in the freezer before it drips all over my carpet."

"Is Jill gonna skin me alive?"

"Nah, she's just been a little hot under the collar about getting everything set up for the party. You know Jill, always working hard."

"That's a relief."

The party didn't stop as Claire entered the room, and she was glad for it. The last thing she needed was a stare down of the tardy person. Claire watched out of the corner of her eye as Jill walked towards her. She was prepared for a scolding, but was taken back when Jill hugged her instead.

"Welcome, I hoe you have an excuse for being considerably late, young lady."

Claire grinned nervously and decided to go along with it.

"I have an excuse; I was stuck in traffic, and plus I had to make a pit stop at Wal-mart for something."

She pointed to the box of ice cream Chris was jamming into the freezer. He held it up like it was a trophy and added, "I can vouch for her, Mrs. Redfield; she got me a chocolaty treat for my special day!"

Everyone in the room laughed except Claire who stood completely frozen with terror.

"Okay, I'll let it go this time."

Rebecca came over and wrapped her arms around Claire, "Welcome to the party!"

Claire's five-year-old nephew, Charles, tugged lightly at her khaki pant leg and grabbed the air like he wanted her to pick him up. She bent down and scooped the small child into her arms. He folded his tiny arms around her collarbone.

Chris and Jill joined Carlos at the table while Barry's youngest came to sit in his lap. Amber, his oldest, and Claire's niece, eight-year-old JoAnna, played happily on the floor with streamers that had fallen from the ceiling. Claire walked over to the couch with Charles still in on her hip and Rebecca joined her.

"So, Claire, how's life been treatin' ya?" Rebecca asked as Charles scooted onto her lap. She ruffled his blonde hair, and he squealed with delight.

"Just fine, I guess; yours?"

"Pretty good; I just scored a job at a new licensing branch in Washington D.C.! Can you believe it?"

Claire blinked with surprise, "D.C.? But, you live in Michigan, Becca! How in the world did you do it!?"

Charles squirmed out of Rebecca's lap and join JoAnna and Amber on the floor. He stood up and began to run around the room a streamer trailing behind him, until Chris picked him up. The poor kid looked genuinely disappointed, but changed his mind when Daddy handed him a piece of cake.

Rebecca continued with excitement in her voice, "Well, I've been trying to get on my feet since my dad died, and my mom needed a new house anyway, so I applied for as many high-paying jobs as I could find to help pay for her new housing unit in Detroit. I jumped at the opportunity to go to D.C., because I have a friend over there, Sherron, who is going to let me stay with her until I get an apartment. The job pays _really _good, so I should be able to get one quickly."

"Wow, Becca, you've really put a lot of thought in this. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow actually. I came all the way down here for Chris's party and booked a plane heading to D.C. in the morning, after I got off mine. Chris and Jill offered me the sleeper sofa for the night, because they say that staying in a motel in Los Angelos is a one-way ticket to getting raped and murdered."

"How like Chris and Jill to be straight to the point." Claire rolled her eyes.

Rebecca laughed, "I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor!"

Claire laughed too. It had been such a long time since she actually sat down and talked with any of her old friends from the Anti-Umbrella days, especially friends like Rebecca. Claire and Rebecca got to know each other more since they were in the same age group, and they were the only girls (except Jill) on the team at the time, so they took a liking to each other. Claire pictured Rebecca as the sister Chris could NEVER be. Rebecca had always felt like she was the 'little kid' of the group since she was so young, but when Claire came to join, Rebecca had someone to relate to. Plus, they always kept one another going , and the girl talk was pretty good to. Claire just wished she hadn't stopped hanging out with everyone. Success without someone to share it with is shit really.

Rebeccatook Claire's hands in hers and spoke very seriously, "Claire, the reason I'm telling you all this is because well..."

Claire tilted her head slightly, confused. Rebecca shook hers.

"Forgive me, I'm having a hard time saying this. Well, here goes: I was thinking about it, and I talked to Jill, and we decided that it would be a good idea for you to come with me to D. C."

"What? I'm not sure I understand..."

Rebecaa held up a hand to stop her from saying anything else.

"Just let me explain. I bumped into one of our old friends in San Diego from the Anti-Umbrella group and we talked casually, you know, and then we started to chat about the old days and your name popped up. He was saying how he missed everyone, and your sense of humor. The guy also informed me that he was visiting some people in D.C., and that it would be cool to travel with some old friends. I actually got to really thinking about it, and I guess I decided that since you and I don't hang out much anymore, it would be fun."

"Oh, Beccca..."

"It's cool, though. C'mon, what do you say?"

"I don't know Becca. This is extremely short noticed, and I don't really have any time to pack-"

"Just hold on. I think I know something, or someone, who could help you make up your mind."

"Who?"

Rebecca stood up and led Claire across the house to the door leading to the garage. Chris gave her a funny look when she walked by; all Claire could do was shrug and keep on going. Rebecca opened the door and trotted quickly down the steps. She stopped next to a refrigerator, and a man bent over, rummaging around inside it. She poked him in the side and he hit his head on the inside of the fridge.

"Remember the guy I met in San Diego? Well, he decided that he wanted to come down and see everyone, so he flew over with me."

The man pulled his head out of the fridge and glared at Rebecca, "You the hell are you-"

He looked up at Claire who stood dumfounded on the landing of the stairs.

"Claire Redfield, dear God, I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Ark? Ark Thompson?"

"Yeah!"

Rebecca punched him in the arm, "Ark, focus! Claire and I were just talking about how she was going to D.C. with me",she winked at Claire who tried to protest, but was cut off, "and she needs some conformation that it's a good idea."

Ark rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I thought that since none of us, you know, the younger generation, hang out much anymore, so I kinda figured it would be cool to travel together. It would be like we used to do except we're not travelling on a suicide mission this time."

Rebecca rolled her eyes, "Okay, that's great Ark, but I already explained that bit. Now tell her _why_ it would be a good idea if she came with us!"

"Oh, right...anyway, a little birdie told us that you haven't had a vacation since you started school again, so we thought that Claire Redfield deserved some time off, so here we are begging for you to makelife interesting for the rest of us like before. C'mon, Claire, you took some time off from work for your brother's birthday, right?"

"Yeah, but only for a week and a half."

"So, that's plenty of time!" Rebecca chimed in, "Claire, you don't have to worry about a thing! I'll help you pack tonight, and I already booked your ticket-"

"You booked a flight for me before you asked?"

"Well, I tried to ask, but you're harder to get a hold of than the president. So I prepared just in case you said yes. The ticket will just be given to someone else, if you decide not to come, so nothing will be on your conscience."

"if you decide not to come, Claire, we'll inderstand. I know your life is hectic, and you can't hang out with people because of work, but this is an opertunity that you might never get again", Ark explained.

Claire thought out this for a second.

_"Washington D.C.? I guess that it would be fun, and I haven't had a vacation in forever, so..."_

"I suppose I could go, but I hardly see what good it will do me."

"Isn't seeing old friends enough? Besides, D.C. is full of fun stuff like nightclubs and restaurants...", Rebecca began to reminisce.

"And museum, and historic monuments, "Ark suggested, but Rebecca shrugged him off.

"Like I said, plenty of entertainment."

Claire put a hand to her chin and smiled, "Well, since you put it that way, how could I refuse? Just do me one favor: Let's have fun like we did when we were younger, kay?"

Rebecca and Ark both grinned from ear to ear.

"This is so exciting! It's like a road trip without the road!"

Claire suddenly had a thought, "Does Chris know about this?"

Rebecca looked at Ark who explain, "Yes, actually, and he's not happy about it."

"Why?"

"Well-"

Rebecca cut him off, "It doesn't matter. Claire is a big girl and can make her own decisions. Chris is going to have to realize one day that Claire doesn't need him to hold her hand all the time."

It was true: Chris was overprotective. That was just how he was, you know, brotherly instinct and all. Claire remembered wishing many times that Chris would just leave her alone and let her do things without his permission while they were fighting Umbrella. Chris wasn't quite as bad as he was, but he did make sure she was't getting into trouble from time to time. Honestly, Claire decided that it was one of his more annoying qualities.

"Well, I could talk to him about it."

Rebecca started to protest, but Ark held up his hand to silence her, "I think that would be a good idea. Getting him to go along with it might make the trip more enjoyable."

Claire, Rebecca, and Ark went back to join the party. The event lasted past 10:00, but no one seemed to notice. They eventually went outside and started a bonfire; the guys all gather around it like moths and drank beer, while the women sat on the porch and chatted. They kids ran around the yard and screamed with delight as they tagged each other and took turns being chased by the family dog. The atmosphere was pleasant and cool, so some of the women wrapped blankets around their shoulders. Claire sat next to Rebecca on the porch swing wrapped up in an old comforter from the linen closet.

Jill looked out over the backyard at the men gathered around the fire, "Look at those monkeys, drinking beer like it was going out of season. I'll never understand why they insist that a party must end in total drunkenness."

"Barry doesn't get the chance to see his old buddies anymore, so its nice to see him enjoying himself with Chris and the guys", Lyn smiled at the thought, "The kids act like they've been enjoying all the festivities."

Jill nodded in agreement, "Chris deserves some time with the guys. I thought that bringing them all together would be fun."

Claire stared down at her shoes. It had been a while since they all gathered likethis. She wondered if it would always be like this: old friends that get together each year likeitwas no big deal and just have a good time. Claire thought about how they used to do things like this all the time, but after Umbrella's downfall, they they all went their separate ways. Claire had gone back to school, Rebecca, home to her mother, Ark to his girlfriend Elza, Chris and Jill got married, Carlos got arrested but eventually landed a job in contruction in Nevada, and Barry and his family finally began to have their lives back. And then there was...Claire blushed suddenly.

_"Jeez, what was that about? Get a hold of yourself."_

Claire looked at Rebecca who was twirling a strand of her short hair between her fingers. When she noticed Claire looking at her, she smiled, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Just that nobody'schanged much since we all fought Umbrella, and that I really missed getting together like this."

"Yeah, me too, but, you know, we've all been busy being normal that we forgot to see each other sometimes. At least, that's what I think happened."

Chris stood up from his seat on an old log and held his beer to the sky, "I would (hic) like to make a toast."

"Oh, here he goes, "Jill stated sarcastically.

"I would like to toast Barry, for putting up with a rotten sonofabitchlike myself for the last six years", Barry raised his bottle in acknowledgement. Chris turned to Ark and Carlos, "And to the Mexican bastard who tried to steal my woman."

"That's what I'm here for, _amigo._"

"And to to Ark, for being my little bitch and doing whatever I said without hesitation."

Ark raised his beer and so did Carlos. The four of them clinked bottles and then took a simultaneous swig. Jill and Lyn laughed at them from the porch. Chris turned in their direction and said, "And to al the women who have had to clean up after us and bail us out of jail, and keep us in line since the beginning. To you, ladies!"

"Here, here!" They all said in unison.

The drinking lasted long into the night. Jill drove Carlos home, while Lyn, Barry, and the kids piled into their minivan for the long drive back to San Fransisco. Rebecca helped Ark onto the couch and he passed out in seventeen seconds flat. After Chris tucked Charles and JoAnna into bed, he joined Claire on the back deck. She was leaning over the railing with the tatty comforter still draped over her slender shoulders; she was watching the last embers of the fire fade away.

"Hey you."

She glanced over her shoulder at him; a sad smile creased her face. She didn't look twenty-five then, but a forty-year-old overworked, unappreciated single mom with too many bills and not enough hamburger for all her kids. Chris stood next to her.

"Whatcha doin', kiddo?"

"Whatching my life pass by."

Chris sighed, "Claire, I know everything. If it makes you feel any better, Jill nagged at me for hours until I agreed to let do what you wanted. I'm just worried about you, you know? I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt, or nothing like that so do me one thing and stay out of trouble."

Claire reached over and hugged her brother; he hugged her back.

"I know you get worried, Chris, but I know what I'm doing. You don't have to watch my back anymore because I've learned to do it myself. Anyway, I can't promise I'll stay out of trouble. Where's the fun in that?"

He smiled, "Same old Claire: she tries to stay out of trouble, but it follows her wherever she goes. Or maybe she goes looking for it?"

* * *

Claire and Rebecca climbed into her black car and drove in silence back to her tiny, one-room apartment. Rebecca didn't mind taking the couch, so Claire let her have it. After they picked out the clothes and such that she would be taking, they both headed off to bed. But Claire's thoughts were as troubled as the night before.

She thought about how fun it would be in D.C. with Rebecca, whom she hadn't talked to in ages. Claire also thought about the one thing she'd been avoiding since Rebecca brought the topic up: Leon.

Claire hadn't seen his face in four years. Sure, they would send each other a Christmas card or whatever, but it couldn't take the place of seeing him smile. She wondered what he had been doing the whole time. Even though they kept in contact, neither reveal what they were doing or if they were even successful; they just wished each other a happy New Year and were done with it.

She did know one thing: Leon lived in the D. C. area (she figured that out by the return address), and for some reason, it scared her. Seeing Leon again might be great and all, but they can hardly say they're best friends anymore. They haven't even heard one another's voices since Claire's birthday two years back. In any case, it would be super wierd and awkward; what would she say to him?

Claire pulled the sheet around her bare shoulders; the summer heatwave had passed, but she still found a way to sweat. She got like that every time she was around Leon, and just thinking about him again made her nervous.

He was so together; he nevered should his emotions and always had a serious demeanor. Sure Leon could joke, but his life was mostly business, leaving little room for anything else. His independentnature made him attractive to Claire, and they became fast friends. Claire and Leon grabbed at every chance to do something fun, since Chris kept everyone busy with missions all the time. They would go out to the local bar and watch a hockey game while chugging beer until they passed out or run past Wendy's and bitch how 'fast food' wasn't fast enough for their life style. Sometimes, they would skip doing stuff altogether and just go see a movie or play putt putt (Claire really hated golf, but Leon was having fun, so she got over it). She remembered the one time they took Ark with them to see a movie (the movie was a piece of blockbuster bullshit), and Chris had burst into the theater screaming they're names. They had snuck out the exit while he ran up and down the aisles yelling like a mad man. Later on, they all laughed about it, but that was after Chris made sure that we were kept busy for the next two weeks.

The great thing about sneaking out was: Leon and Claire never did it without the other person. Somehow, it made everything they did special. Sure, they would invite other people to skip work with them, but it was usually just the two of them, and Claire liked it that way. The only problem was: everyone started to spread a rumor that they were an item. Of course, they weren't, but Claire used it to piss Chris off whenever he decided that he was going to give Leon hell about something, which he did as often as possible. Claire never understood what grudge Chris could have against Leon since Leon never did anything to him. She figured that the most likely reason was that he couldn't control Leon, so whenever she hung out with him, she would be defiant to Chris's 'authoruty'. If anything, Chris's ego suffered a blow every time Claire said she wasn't going to listen to him, and messing with Chris proclamation of manliness was a no no. Claire didn't care; she enjoyed Leon's company. When she hung out with him, she felt normal, and that feeling was worth a thousand of Chris's egoes.

After Umbrella was finished, Leon put some serious thought into his training and went off to join the Marines. Afterwards, he got some job in Washington, so he left without a word. Claire remembered how upset she was when he left, but she never let it show. She wanted to be happy for him, to wear a smile, but the thought of maybe never seeing him again was overwhelming. At the time, she was losing more than a comrade; she was losing her best friend. Now she sits at home after work and drinks beer alone on the couch, wishing that someone would come and share their life with her, because let's face it: she didn't have a life anymore.

Claire rolled over so that she was facing her night stand. The clock read 2:54, but Claire wasn't concerned with the time. She was focused on the picture sitting in a silver frame depicting the time they had taken pictures a photo booth in Atlanta. That day was one of her favorite memories; she had literally never been closer to Leon before that, and wasn't awkward at all. They both seemed to be completely comfortable, and niether objected to the idea of being that close, so she figured that it was perfectly alright for her to be cuddled up next to him taking pictures. That was also the last time they really did anything meaningful together; after the pictures Leon took her to a cafe and broke the news about being a Marine. She felt her heart break when he said that.

She reached over and put the frame down so she couldn't see it, and rolled over to face the opposite wall. Claire didn't know why she'd even kept that stupid picture all these years; it only reminded her of one thing now: she was alone.


	3. Found You Again

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_Forgive me if I get some of the geography of Washington D.C. wrong. -colorsOFtheINFINITEsky_

* * *

_"Bouncing 'round from cloud to cloud, I got the feelin' like I'm never gonna come down. If I said I didn't like it, than you know I lied."_

_-Carlos Santana Featuring the Alex Band_

* * *

"Man, where _is _he?" Rebecca glanced up at the clock and scowled, "Our flight leaves in twenty-fives minutes, and Ark decides that he needs his beauty sleep! Well, I'll make sure that all that sleeping in was in vain, 'cause he ain't gonna look pretty, when _I_ get my hands on him!"

Claire and Rebecca were sitting side by side in the Los Angelos airport at 7:15, waiting for Ark Thompson to show up. Every passing minute made Rebecca more irritable, and Claire had about all she could stand of the bitching. She knew Rebecca wanted to get to her interview on time, but compaining wasn't doing a damn thing for anyone. Claire wanted Ark to show up to end her suffering.

"I need to go to the bathroom; I'll be back in a minute."

Claire got up and left Rebecca sitting in a the plastic built-on chair huffing like a mad bull. Rebecca didn't seem to care about what Claire had said, so she just shugged it off and headed to the restroom.

Honestly, Claire didn't have to relieve herself; she just need a place to think clearly. Claire sat on the floor of one of the stalls and began to wonder.

_"What if I meet him by accident? What am I gonna do; what am i gonna say for that matter? I haven't even heard him speak in two years; how am I gonna even know it's him?"_

A woman walked by and went into the stall next o hers, but Claire payed her now attention as she scoffed at the young woman sitting on the dirty floor. It never occured to Claire that you weren't supposed to not care about what you did in public. She was perfectly comfortable with just doing whatever she pleased, but she wasn't exactly rude; she just didn't really give a shit.

Claire heard someone else enter the restroom, and she got up in fear that Rebecca would see her. The last thing she wanted was Rebecca Chambers to interrogate her, so she lined the seat with toilet paper and pretended she wasn't acting like an emotional wierdo. Thankfully, it was just a mother and her young daughter, but it never stopped Claire from feeling completely ridiculous.

_"I have to stop acting paranoid. I won't be able to convince Rebecca that nothing's wrong if I keep looking over my shoulder every five minutes."_

Suddenly, Claire felt homesick. She wondered if Chris was sitting by the phone right now, waiting to get a tearful call from her about how she couldn't do this and wanted him to come get her-yeah, he probably was.

Claire smiled; he cared way too much. Chris just didn't understand: She _needed _to do this. On the other side of the country, something was waiting for her; she was sure of it. Right now, she couldn't imagine what that was, but the feeling was too strong for even Claire Redfield to ignore. The first step was getting on that plane (and getting out of this gross bathroom) and then...facing some kind of reality she'd been hiding from everyone, especially herself. Somewhere along the road, she'd decided to keep it hidden from her heart because she was afraid that it would rip her in two. Now, she didn't care and wanted nothing more than to grab hold of it and never let it go. Maybe the hardest step for her to take was the one to get on the plane to D.C., but the worst part was realizing what that something was she left buried inside her soul for four years.

In any case, Chris was going to be sorely disappointed that Claire didn't call. She was getting on that plane, and after that...it would be too late to run back home.

Claire got up and walked out of the stall. This woman nest to her at the sinks gave her a funny look like she was looking at a complete moron but didn't say anything. Claire washed her hands and left without telling the woman how rude it was to stare. Some people just really need to be punched in the face, but the person who usually thinks of it first can't do it because of their morals, so Claire walked away unsatisfied. At least hitting that woman would have relieved some of her stress, but it wasn't right to think that way.

Rebecca and Ark were standing side by side waiting on her as she exited the bathroom. Rebecca spoke before Ark could tell her good morning, "Jeez, Claire, did you fall in? We have to go; the plane leaves in fifteen minutes!"

Claire smiled in spite of her mood, "Sorry, Becca."

She sighed, but picked up her bags and began to walk to the luggage check-in. Ark hung back to walk with Claire.

"So, are you excited for D.C.?" Claire didn't say anything so he continued, "I slept like a baby, but I almost jumped out of my skin when I realized that I wasn't in my hotel room with my stuff. How the hell did I end up on Chris's couch; didn't I go home last night?"

"Well, obviously not. Rebecca helped you onto the couch-you were pretty wasted."

Ark rubbed his head, "That explains the headache, but I don't even remember having anything to drink last night."

"That comes with getting a hangover-loss of memory."

Ark laughed as they approached luggage check-in. Rebecca scoffed at him, but turned her attention to the baggage lady. Claire and Ark put their stuff on the conveyor belt and watched as she took x-rays of their stuff. As soon as the airport personnel were sure that none of them were carrying a bomb or something, the three of them were off to the attentdant asking for tickets. Ark smiled pleasanly at the woman and she smiled back.

"Have a nice flight sir."

"Thank you."

Ark hurried after Claire and Rebecca who were looking for their seats in third class. When he caught up with them, Rebecca remarked sarcastically, "Nice of you to join us slow poke. having fun flirting with the pretty ticket lady? Remember Romeo, you have a girlfriend."

Claire gigled, but Ark was ignoring them both. He sat next to Claire while Rebecca sat in the seat next to him. It was good that this flight had seat for three, because Claire didn't wanted to here them argue about who was going to sit next o who. Of course, they did, but Claire tuned them out to watch the world she knew disappear behind a sea of clouds.

_"No going home now."_

* * *

Ark said his goodbyes and was gone off to see his friends or whatever almost immediantly after the plane landed. Rebecca and Claire called a taxi to take them across town to a residential housing community on the south side. As Rebecca jumped out of the taxi to greet her friend, Sherron, claire unhappily paid the driver and stood looking like a baggage carrier in the driveway. Rebecca and Sherron walked up to her-Rebecca was all smiles.

"Sherron, this is my friend from the west coast, Claire Redfield. Claire, this is my good friend Sherron that I told you about."

Claire faked an enthusiastic smile, but Sherron didn't seem inpressed.

"So _you're _Claire Redfield. Okay before we get into the formalities, I want to lay down some rules right here and now", Claire looked at her curiously, but Rebecca's smile had faded into a look of horror, "First, you sleep on the pull-out couch in the basement. I can't have my neighbors thinking that I'm some kind of motel for bums or something."

"Pull-out couch? You're not serious, Sherron!" Rebecca retorted in Claire's defense.

"Don't interrupt, Rebecca. Second, don't go thinking my kitchen is an all-you-can-eat buffet, because you're only allowed to eat when I _say_ it's okay. And lastly, if you're going to stay out late, don't come in through the front door all drunk or high or whatever. Use the back door and go straight to the basement. You get all that?"

Rebecca looked at Claire still horrified, expecting to see her jump on Sherron and punch her in the face, but Claire nodded and said, "Okay, you're the boss. I guess I'll just go to the basement then."

Rebecca stared after her and then turned to Sherron, 'What the hell is _your_problem!? Didn't I tell you that claire was cool-that she wouldn't _be_ a problem!?"

"Relax, I'm just trying to keep some oder. You don't honestly think I'm going to just start being buddy-buddy with some one I don't know-do you? Besides, she looks like a wild child to me."

* * *

Ark walked past the doorman in the apartment lobby without saying 'thank you' for opening the door for him, like he normally would. He was in too big a hurry to get to the third floor.

The man in the elevator greeted him, but Ark just flashed a quick smile and said, "Third floor please."

Ark almost tripped as he rushed out of the elevator.

"Have a nice day, sir!" The elevator operator called after him.

"Thank you!" Ark was already speed-walking around the corner, so the guy didn't hear him, "Let's see...240-C, huh?"

Ark slowed to a quick stroll as the looked from door to door for the right address. He almost missed the door in his haste. Knocking quickly but politely on the door, Ark waited patiently for someone to answer.

"C'mon, I know your home", he mumbled under his breath. He was about to swear ten seconds later until the door open and a fairly tall man with shortish blonde hari answered. Ark could no longer hold in his excitement.

"Leon, long time no see!"

Leon smiled kindly, "Ark, my God, what are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd pay my old comrade a visit. How ya been buddy?"

"Great, I just didn't expect the company."

"Oh, am I interrupting something? I'll come back later, and you can tell me who she is", Ark remarked sarcastically and acted like he was going to walk away.

"Get in here, ya cocky bastard. Man, you haven't changed!"

"Yeah, but _you_ have", he said as he walked into the living room gawking at all of the nice things, "I see you've moved up in the world."

Ark looked around the open floor plan of Leon's one-room apartment, which made it look twice the size it actually was. The great wall of floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city added to it's grandeur along with the wood floors, high-end kitchen with stainless steel everything and marble everything else, and all of the high-tech devices. Ark was remembering that his apartment with Elza was a shit hole compared to this.

"Yeah", Leon replied unenthusiastically, "Hey, you want something to drink?"

Ark snapped out of his trance and said with a smirk, "Sure, if peasants like me are allowed to drink with nobility."

"Same old Ark Thompson", Leon repeated as they headed into the kitchen and sat at the island over looking the entire house except the bathroom and bedroom. Leon pulled two beers out of the fridge and set one in front of Ark.

"Thanks."

"Welcome", Leon popped the cap off, took a swig and asked, "So how's life been treating you, naive?"

Ark smiled, "Well, you know that girl Elza I liked a few years back?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking about marrying her."

"Really?"

"Yeah, be a little more excited for me please", Leon laughed as Ark continued, "I already got her a ring, but the hard thing is actually getting the balls to ask her, ya know?"

"Not really", Leon replied, looking at his beer bottle like it was more interesting than what Ark was saying.

"Anyway, I got a desk job in San Diego typing legal statements for busy-body lawers. It pays pretty good, but nothing great enough to buy high-end appliances like this."

Leon frowned, "Okay, enough about my stuff. I know you didn't just drop by to comlpiment on my apartment."

"Can't I just come over to say 'hi' once and a while?" He asked innocently.

"Not if you live on the other side of the country. Really, Ark, why'd you drop by?"

"Man, you're uptight. All work and no play makes Leon a jackass."

"I'm just messing with ya, Ark. You're the one who needs to lighten up."

"Yeah, well, when you're stuck on a plane long enough with the bitchiest woman on the planet, you tend to lose your sense of humor", Ark answered glumly.

"You didn't travel alone?"

"Nah, Rebecca Chambers gave me all the sompany I never wanted. Thank God the other one was quiet."

"Other one? You traveled clear across the country with two woman and not your girlfirend-who I thought you wanted to marry?"

Ark looked at him crossly, "It ain't even like that, and you know it! Besides, Claire wouldn't go out with a guy like me. I highly doubt I'm her type, and Rebecca's not mine."

"What did you say?"

"Rebecca's not my-"

"No, no! Befoer that about..."

"Who Claire? You remember her-don't you? God, you guys were best friends once upon a time."

Leon didn't say anything. He stared down at the floor with an astonished look on his face, but his focus was somewhere else. He was remembering a time four years ago when he ran next to an auburn-haired woman in biker attire down a hallway in France. That was the second big 'adventure' they'd had together.

"Leon? Hey, are you alright?"

Leon shook his head and rubbed his temple like he had a headache,"Yeah, I just can't believe...Claire is here in the city, right?"

"More like the suburbs, but yeah, she's here, staying with a friend of Rebecca's."

"How is she?"

"Fine, I guess. She's doing really well over in California with her secretary's job, and I heard she just recently got a raise."

Leon nodded like he understood, but he was still on a different planet and was breathing like he was out of breath.

"Are you sure you're not gonna pass out? You're huffing like you just ran a marathon."

"Yeah", he said with a grin. There was something about his expression that made Ark raised an eyebrow.

Ark took another swig of his beer and then comented, "I don't know what your getting so excited about. Rebecca told me you two still talk- or attempt to. She just needed some time away from her controling brother to breathe, ya know? Just relax, dude."

Leon turned towards his friend with a serious face, but a sarcastic smile, "Well, how wuld you feel if your best friend-who you haven't seen in years-was in town?"

"Well, if we're going to talk about our _feelings_, then maybe I should leave."

Leon laughed and shook his head, "I just haven't seen her in a long time-maybe too long."

* * *

Claire decided that she needed some fresh air (and some time away from Rebecca's apologies and G.I. Sherron's rules), so she walked to the end of the block and called a taxi. She didn't have anywhere in particular she wanted to go, so she had the driver drop her off in the shopping district. Maybe some store browsing would take her mind off the other person that was here in D.C.

She went into a gigantic shopping mall equiped with a large variety of stores. A Macy's was the first thing she saw, so she went in to look at what they had.

Threre was a large display of make-up lined infront of the store. Even though she wasn't much for anything other than eye liner; she needed to stay preoccupied. The woman asked her if she wanted a free sample of some red lip gloss, and Claire took it polietly. She mused to herself that it was the same shade as her hair, but didn't compliment her face and clothes very well. While she was slender, she wasn't really girly or sporty. Junk food was the enemy, but she couldn't live without some sugar every once and a while. She was appalled to see that wearing make-up made her face thinner.

She thanked the woman and left the store without another word.

Claire spent a half hour browsing through the stores, but left with all her money in her pocket and a depressed expression on her face. So far, D.C. had nothing to offer her but a shitty landlord and free shade of lip gloss. Claire walked past a small law ferm with a sign on the door that talked about a thrift store grand reopening on the other side of the city.

_"That might be worth checking out, but I'll have to take the subway."_

Claire didn't want to seem like a tourist, so she spent a considerable amount of time looking for the subway entrance by herself. She eventually found it, but trying not to look clueless was close to impossible. She was reading the subway map and had a lot of trouble understanding it. The fact that some of the information was in Spanish and listed after each sentence didn't do anything to help her either. She decided to take the one going south and just see where it led her.

She stood waiting for the train and suddenly heared someone laughing. Claire decided to ignore it; it was probably not even directed at her anyway. The laughing died down to a low hum of snickers, but it didn't make claire feel any better.

_"Just let them laugh. The train will be coming soon any-"_

"Are you lost, miss?" A man's voice asked. The voice was soft with a hint of sarcasm in it and-she didn't want to admit-had a startling amount of sexiness to it. Claire refused to give into this asshole's comedy act, so she stared on ahead, but she couldn't help but make a sour face. The guy snickered again.

"Honestly, you look like you don't know where you. You need some help finding where you need to go?"

Claire folded her arms across her chest and shifted her wieght over to one hip. She was fuming by now and couldn't wait for the train to get there. It wasn't coming fast enough.

"Miss, are you listening?" The guy mused.

Claire saw with relief that the train was coming down the tracks and had it's door open before her in the next second. She decided to stop with the good citizen act and tell this sonofabitch how it is like she'd wished she'd done to the woman in the bathroom and to Sherron.

As she began to step through the doors, she hissed, "For your information, sir, I'm not lost and don't need help from an asshole like _you. _You should learn to be more polite to people you don't know."

It felt good to get shitty with the guy, but he countered, "Like you were to me? Besides, I'm not going to pretend I don't know you, Claire Redfield."

She stopped half way to the door and finally turned to the speaker, "How do you-"

Time suddenly stood still as she stared across the station at a tall, handsome man with sleepless nights painted under his eyes. His hair was a dirty-blond, shortish and parted so that it was a little londer on one side. It would have looked boyish, but the man the hair belonged to was so rugged that he pulled it off. Claire noticed the familiar intensity and heat his gaze gave off from his deep, trouble, azure eyes.

"Oh my God...Leon?"

"Yeah, I...can't believe you're here either." The train doors closed and it pulled away, "Hey, I think your train's leaving."

"Nevermind that; why were you laughing at me?"

Leon rubbed the back of his neck and replied, "I wasn't really laughing at you so much as I was laughing at myself for not knowing how to talk to people I hadn't seen in years."

"You're right; you're really bad at it."

He laughed and she laughed with him. To Leon, it felt like old times, when they used to hang out all the time. Like Ark, Claire hadn't changed much and he was glad for it. She still wore her auburn hair in a ponytail and her laugh was still as lovely as if a choir of angels were singing. She wore different clothes-more professional-but she was still a perfect hour-glass shape with a little bounce and swing in her step. He was unwilling to admit (out loud) that he loved to watch her sexy hips swing in rhythm with her steps.

"Wow", he said blushing but still grinning from ear to ear, "I...don't know what say..."

"Just a simple 'I missed you like crazy' would work" she said with a sheepish grin.

"Okay, I missed you like freaking crazy."

Claire walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hestitated, blushed again, and then finally embraced her in his arms. An electric current surged through his entire body the moment she touched him, and he shook a little. Leon remembered that this happend to him before, but he _couldn't_ remember when or why.

Leon let go of her, but she didn't mind. For a moment, they just stood there looking at each other until Claire asked ,"What are you looking at, hot shot?"

"My life flashing before my eyes."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Depends", he sadi with a sigh, "Does my past want anything to do with me anymore?"

She rasied an eyebrow, "Is that who I am, your past?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, _sweetheart_, you're part of my present too."

"Not really, and you're a smart ass."

He laughed that beautiful laugh of his and then flashed his heartbreak smile-which made Claire melt inside, "That's what you like about me, right?"

_"God, I like _way _more than that." _Claire thought and flushed.

"Yeah, but I always didn't like the smell of your cheap-ass cologne. Which", she smelled the air, "You're not wearing...did you start wearing something new?"

"Yeah, I can't believe you noticed."

"Why wouldn't I? You used to smell like old shoe leather."

"Hmph, I kinda liked my old spice, ya know."

"So did every cat in heat on every city block in Atlanta."

They both started laughing histerically again,and people began to stare. Leon suggested that they go somewhere a little less public to catch up, and she agreed.

"How about we head over to my apartment?"

"You're apartment?"

"Yeah, I live here in the city."

"Oh", Claire felt a little embarrassed, "Okay."

They walked out of the subway still chatting about non-important things until the cab came. Inside, Claire was turned toward Leon slightly and he was facing her with his arm draped over the back of the seat. They asked each other series of questions about how their lives had been, but when Claire asked him what he did for a living, he was reluctant to answer, but replied, "Government."

"Government? You some kind of secret agent?"

"Not really, just a member of the order that protects the first family. No big deal."

"What!? Leon, that's awesome! I can't believe how well off yo've become."

"Really, it's no big deal."

"Leon, you used work in a pizza shack."

He chuckled, "Okay,you win, but it's seriously like any other job."

"Because you go to work and get paid for it; that's it. You put your life onthe line for the big cheese every day; how is that not abnormal?"

"I don't mind putting my life on the line for my job. I always wanted to something like that, anyway."

Claire paused to think about the first time she'd met him. He saved her life at the back door of a diner in Raccoon City, and she remembered the rookie cop uniform he was wearing. Nowadays, he sported freshly-reshed shirts and jet black suits. Leon had changed some.

* * *

Leon's apartment was amazing. Claire stood in total awe at all of the expensive, but simple decor.

"Claire, you gonna sit down?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

Claire rushed over to the plush couch and sighed with delight at how comfortable it was. Leon was in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge. She looked back at him to asked if she could use his phone to call Rebecca, and quickly turned around put her face in her hands, embarrassed again. Leon was bent over slightly and whe she looked she got a full view of his ass. Claire turned a thousand shades of red because she caught herself staring at him. Sure, Leon had the greatest ass she had ever seen, but she didn't want him to think she was creepy because she liked to look at it.

"Are you alright?" Leon asked setting a beer in front of her.

She looked up at him, and when she realized that she was still blushing, she looked down at her shoes.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

She picked up the beer and took a big chug of it. She felt better then.

"Whoa, easy. Don't want you getting wasted too fast", Leon flicked on the huge television. "Hey, I thinks there's a hockey game on."

"Really? Well, turn it on!"

"Okay, okay."

Claire called Rebecca and left a message on her cellphone. She told her not to worry and not to wait up on her, because she was at an old friends house. Claire decided that she would explain it all to her later and went back to watching the game with Leon. The cheered and shouted at the TV for the nest few hours. Claire often stood up and shouted things like 'the ref's a moron' and 'that bastard cheated', and Leon laughed at her enthusiasm. She was still a beer-drinking-hockey-watching-smart-ass that Leon had spent the better part of his life with. Something was really bothering him, though.

"Claire?"

She was standing up over the coffee table glaring at the TV, but turned her attention to him instantly, "What?"

"Uh...how long are you going to be in town?" He was leaning against the arm of the couch with one arm draped over the back of the seat like in the taxi.

_"I wished you wouldn't sit like that and then look at me with those amazing eyes of yours. Don't you know that you drive me crazy, when you look at me like that_!?" she thought.

"I don't really know...a week...maybe?"

Honestly, Claire didn't know herself. The whole time she was thinking about how she was going to face her past when she got here, and it never occured to her that she could go home in a week or a couple of days.

"Oh, I just...wondered." He turned back to the game, and Claire sat back down.

"You want to spent some more time with me or something like that?"

"Something like that." He looked at her sideways and used that danm smile to make butterflies started flying around in her stomach.

Claire had to look at the TV so she wouldn't tell Leon he was so freakin' sexy it was frustrating. Leon was also pretending he didn't know that Claire was the most amazing woman he had ever met and that she looked hot in those shorty-shorts she used to wear. The truth was, they were hiding more than just an admiration for each other's looks from each other. The entire time Claire was at his apartment, there was a rising but hidden tension in the room and all around them.


	4. Daily Routine Change

_

* * *

_

"I'm here without you baby, but you're still on my lonely mind."

_- Three Doors Down_

* * *

The sweet smell of expensive Dior cologne woke Claire from a deep but peacful slumber. She felt a pain and realized that she'd slept on her arm. As Claire rubbed her arm in an effort to try and rid it of numbness, she realized also that she didn't know where she was.

Then the headache came, and she knew instantly that she was hungover.

_"Jesus Christ, what did I do last night?"_

She messaged her trobbing head, trying to focus on her current location. Then Claire remembered coming home with someone last night...yeah...she came home with and old friend...Leon? That's right, she was in Leon's apartment on the third floor of a ritzy complex. She decided that she must have fallen asleep on the couch, but that didn't explain the smell...and where was...?

Claire felt movement in her lap and nearly jumped out of her skin, until she saw that it wasn't a rat or a cockroach (like Leon could even get those); it was a man, fast asleep with his head in her lap. They must have gotten so wasted last night that they just passed out on the couch.

She blushed a little and then had a sudden thought. Relief washed over her as she carefully leaned over and checked to see if her panties were still there, and she saw that they were.

_"Thank God! I was a good girl last night!"_

Leon moaned in his sleep and twitched his closed lids slightly. Claire felt ridiculous for letting this happen, but...he _did _look cute while he slept. Nevertheless, she reluctantly shook his shoulder and whispered, "Leon...Leon, wake up!"

He groaned and sifted in her lap until he was on his back looking up at the ceiling. Leon rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then scanned his surroundings like he forgot which planet he lived on. When his tired eyes locked with Claire's, he turned a bright shade of crimson and jumped out of her lap like it was on fire.

"Oh...I...wait a minute. What are you...?" He scratched the back of his head.

Claire got up from the couch and stretched, reveling a little of her stomach under her spaghetti-strap shirt, and then looked at him with a serious face, "I don't know why I'm here either. I thought I went home last night"

"When did we go to sleep?" He glanced at the clock and noticed it read 7:38 a.m. Leon's face changed to a look of pure horror, "Ah, shit!"

"What-"

Before she could finish asking him what was wrong, he disappeared through his bedroom door. Claire jumped when it slammed.

"Kay."

Claire sat back down on the couch and propped her head up on her elbows. She heard the sink run in the bathroom and then some soft curses. Leon rushed out of his room and to the front door without looking at her. Before he shut the door, he turned to her and smiled, "Sorry, Claire. Work."

She nodded and waved to him as he closed the door behind him and ran madly to the elevator. Claire sat silently in the empty apartment planning her next move.

She knew that she couldn't go to Sheron's because Rebecca would be there with an axe ready to cut into her for not coming back before the sun rose. Staying here probably wasn't a good idea, but she didn't necessarily have any other place to go. Her best bet was to call Rebecca and tell her that she would be back soon and hope that she wouldn't freak out too much. It was ridiculous: Claire was twenty-five not sixteen; she shouldn't have to explain herself, but she knew that Rebecca just worries. The lesser of the two evil options she was left with was to go to Sherron's and explain to Rebecca what happened and not hide out in Leon's apartment. It would be weird if she stayed her to wait on him anyway. The only thing that bothered her was that Leon just kind of left her here. He probably figured that she could figure out what to do without him, but he was being a little rude. She hoped that he didn't just leave people in his apartment every time he went somewhere.

Claire walked around the side of the couch to grab her shoes and then to the front entrance to get her jacket when her stomach growled obnoxiously loud. She realized she hadn't really eaten since the gross airplane food yesterday, and she was obviously starving. Claire glanced in the direction of the fridge, and tried to shake away the idea of grabbing a bite to eat before she left. Now who was being rude? She contemplated on the idea for a moment and decided that Leon wouldn't mind seeing as he left her to fend for herself. Whether or not he ment that she could rade his fridge was irrelivent at this point; she was hungry.

She opened the door and was surprised to find that there was nothing except a couple of cases of beer and box of almost expired Colby cheese.

"Dear God, Leon, do you _eat_?"

She moved to the cabinets and discovered that they were just as empty at the fridge. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed the cabinet door. Then she had a thought: She couldn't leave knowing that Leon wasn't eating. For God's sake, it was unhealthy, so she decided that she had to do something about it.

_"He won't mind if I at least buy him a box of cereal bars, right?"_

Claire pulled her jacket on and headed out the door without locking it. In the elevator, she began to go over a list of things that someone needs to survive on: milk, eggs, bread, unexpired cheese... Claire realized she had her work cut out for her.

The elevator doors opened as Claire rummaged around in her pockets for some cash. She surprisingly found about two hundred and fifteen dollars in her purse and another sixty in twenties on the inside of her jacket. That seemed like enough money to buy for a family of five let alone one person. Now all she needed to find was a grocery store.

Claire walked around the overly-decorative lobby towards the doors, but stopped short of them. She realized that she had to ask someone, and she groaned in frustration. Looking around, she noticed a young blond woman sitting at a desk filing her nails. She approached with caution.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I was wondering if-"

The young woman looked up at her with a toothy grin, "Oh my gosh, are _you_ that girl Leon brought home yesterday?"

Claire was silent for a second and then said, "Yeah."

"OH MY GOSH, you are _so_ lucky! Leon-if you don't mind me pointing out-is the hottest guy that lives here. All the staff girls talk about him."

"Really."

"Yeah, totally! Are you guys...?"

It took Claire a moment to understand what she was hinting at, but she responded with a prompt but embarrassed, "Oh...no, no."

The woman seemed to like that response, because she quickly pointed out, "That means that he's still available! I have to tell Justine!"

Claire rolled her eyes, "Could you give me directions to the nearest grocery store?"

"Oh, yeah, right...um..."

She looked down at her fingernails blankly like she'd just been asked a trick question. Then her eyes roamed around the lobby until she spotted a tall, brunette woman talking to a burly staff member.

"Oh my gosh, Justine, come here!"

The woman turned quickly, smiled at Claire like the blond one had, and rushed over to the desk.

"Is this _her_?" The blond woman nodded, and Justine squealed with delight, sounding strangely like Chris's son. "Oh my gosh, are they", she turned to Claire,"...are you guys an item?"

"No."

"Oh, too bad." She looked at her blond friend hopefully, "I can't believe he's still single! How could someone that _hot_..."

"Ahem", Claire cleared her throat.

The blond woman looked away from Justine for a second, but turned back to her when she remembered-shockingly Claire thought-that she was supposed to be asking Justine a question."

"Oh hey, Justine, do you know how to get to Marsh from here?"

Justine pondered on the suject with the same blank look the blond secretary had, but answered, "Oh, I think you could probably take a cab to get there."

Claire began to walk away as soon as she said that and threw a thanks-goodbye wave over her shoulder before she headed outside to call her cab. The two women stared after her in disbelief.

"_Oh my gosh_, how rude!"

"Yeah, I know! I'm so glad that Leon's not dating _her_. She is so _not_ his type."

* * *

Leon wasn't surprised to find Ashley Graham, the President's twenty-year-old daughter, lounging in a fold-up chair in a tight bikini on the front lawn. Did he _really_think it was okay to let her do that? Leon smiled and waved at her, but walked quickly to the service entrance to avoid conversation. The last thing he wanted to do today was talk to a half-naked girl-who ultimately had a crush on him-and get laughed at by the perverted snipers up in the trees. He also couldn't understand why Ashely was still so hell-bent on getting him when he refused her the first time she asked. Not only was it embarrassing, but it was also nerve-racking to be followed around by a cattery, obnoxious brat ALL THE TIME. When was she going to get it threw her thick head that he was supposed to protect her, not _date_ her?

Leon noticed the unmistakable expression of anger and disappointment that creased her face, and he hoped that would keep her off his back for at least an hour. It was not likely.

Elroy, head of the gardeners that tended to the neatness of the vegetation around the White House, stopped to greet Leon as he passed.

"Mornin', Kennedy. Run into Miss Graham, have ya?"

"How'd ya know?"

"The frustration is noticeable."

"Yeah, I kinda figured she'd come up with something new to impress me today. She always does." He sighed and rubbed his temple with his fore-finger, "Isn't she a little old to be playing high-school-mind-games with people?"

"You'd think so, but Miss Graham is one determined woman."

"Yeah, it's noticeably _annoying_."

Elroy laughed and then went back to his duties, "Take it easy Leon," and walked away.

Leon took the staff elevator to the third floor, walked down the hall to the oval office, greeted Ralph and John who gaurdedthe entrance, and walked in to greet the big cheese himself. Mr. Graham was busy signing something as Leon walked in and stood on the large rug awaiting his orders. The graying man didn't look up at him, until Leon cleared his throat. Mr. Grahamheldup a finger to tell him to wait a minute and went back to his document.

Leon shoved his hands in his pockets and waited patiently. About five minutes later, the President looked up and greeted Leon with a grin.

"Agent Kennedy, how may I assist you?"

"I'm just waiting for today's assignment, sir." He lied.

President Graham cleared his throat and spoke seriously, "Well, the only business to attend to currently is that of my daughter's birthday." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm in need of _extremely_ tight security, as you could probably tell, and I have been trying to find a reliable person to organize it-"

"And you want me to take cared of it?" Leon asked sheepishly.

"No...I'm putting Agent Bernard in charge."

Leon faught the urge to let his jaw drop. Agent Ernest Bernard was the biggest asshole in Washington, probably the biggest asshole Leon had ever met next to Claire's infamous brother. No one could touch that bastard, but Bernard was really friggin' close.

President Graham's expression didn't change, "I see the surprise in your face, Kennedy, but Bernard is just as well equipped for the task as you are. Besides", he smiled, "I would feel more comfortable if you were heading up the actual surveillance of the party, anyway."

"I don't think I understand, sir."

"Bernard is just putting all the pieces in place. You're calling all the shots, my boy."

"Ah."

The old man turned to another document on his desk and left Leon with, "I know I can count on you Kennedy. Don't disappoint me."

* * *

Erin Dawson, the President's aging secretary, walked quietly down the hall to the oval office with a stack of papers almost as tall as she was. She nearly dropped all of them as Agent Leon Kennedy burst through the door.

"Oh dear God, Erin, sorry."

She held tight to the stack and swiftly, but kindly replied, "Honey, it's okay. Why in such a hurry, though?"

Leon rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "None at all."

"Excited for the birthday party tonight?" She mused.

"What? It's tonight!?" He looked genuinely shocked, "Isn't it nice how everything 'the man' assigns me to do is at the last minute?"

"Don't be so hard on Mr. Graham, dear. Miss Graham informed him of her plan only a week ago."

"That's not surprising", he remarked sarcastically, but he quickly changed the subject, "What duty do you have tonight?"

"Organization of the guest list, the decorations, catering, you know, the works."

"Wow, never a dull moment for you, huh, Erin?"

"Never. A secretary's work is never finished."

Leon smiled sheepishly, "Neither is a goverment agent's."

"Toche, Mr. Kennedy", she replied, "Anyway, my boy, I have to run."

Leon waved goodbye as she disappeared behind double doors to the President's office and casually walked back to the staff elevator. He had a long day _and_ night ahead of him.

* * *

Claire had been grocery shopping many times in her life, but the walls of produce, clean tile floors, and isles of cereal boxes, chips, and toiletries seemed like foreign territory to her. Maybe she was just being ridiculous, but being her made her nervous. Time and time again, she would only shop for herself, but she stood there in the vegetable isle and realized: she had no idea what Leon ate.

It couldn't possibly be that difficult to figure out, could it? He was a man, so he probably consumed helpings of beer and bacon three times a day. Then again...what if he liked to have gourmet meals prepared? Or he could just like take-out...she sighed loud enough for half the store to hear her. Claire began grabbing a wide selection of things. She figured that Leon probably did eat fancy cuisine, but she would graba couple of cases of beer just to be safe.

Maybe this whole shopping thing wasn't going to be so bad after all...maybe.

* * *

Around 7:30 p.m., Leon decided to run home to grab a bite to eat before he had to be back at the White House at nine. The taxi driver got stuck in traffic a block away from his complex, but Leon wasn't in that big of a hurry, so he patiently waited. As he reclined on the worn leather, his mind began to drift.

He started going over in his head how he was going to deal with Ashley and her friends. He'd hoped that she invited plenty of her college _guy_friends, so maybe she would be occupied the entire time. He chuckled to himself at the thought of how unlucky any guy would be to have to deal with that nuisance. He wondered how someone else would handle it...probably shoot her in the leg and make her beg for mercy. If it were Ark's problem, he would run and hide most likely. If Jon or Ralph had to put up with her...they would probably just stand there; sometimes it seemed like they weren't even real. If Claire had to...wait...oh shit!

Leon bolted upright in his seat, eyes wild, and jumped out of the cab.

"Hey, buddy, you got to pay!" The driver with a thick Arabian accent called after him. Leon ran back and threw two twenties in the back seat before darting to the entrance of the apartment complex.

All the while, his thoughts were racing back to the events of last night and this morning and he remembered that he had left Claire in his apartment alone. He hoped she didn't think he was _too_ big of a dick.

Leon rushed past the door man and didn't bother to acknowledge the presence of the two mush-brained staff girls he waved to before and after work. He didn't bother with the elevator; his heart was beating so fast that impulse told him to take the stairs to wear it out before it leaped out of his chest.

He was up the stairs before he relaized it and at his door seconds later. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath when he noticed that the door was ajar and the kitchen light was on.

Leon stood up straight and reach to open the door but his hand stopped on the handle. He understood that if there was an intruder in his apartment, he would have to sneak up on them. He secretly hoped he was overreating, but pulled his desert eagle from it's holster and prepared to barge in.

_"Three...two..."_

He burst through the door and quickly turned the corner, gun posed to shoot at the intruder...putting groceries away!? He lowered his weapon and dumfoundedly asked, "Claire...?"

She spun around with a huge, but embarrassed grin on her face which faded when she noticed he had his magnum drawn. Claire looked from his face to the weapon to him face again and put a hand to her chin thoughtfully.

"Am I in trouble, officer?" She raised an eyebrow.

He put the gun back in it's holster, "No...I just..," he looked at the groceries that were still on the counter and then to Claire and asked, "Uh, what's this all about?"

Claire picked up a can of Progresso beef soup and replied, "You didn't have any food."

"You went grocery shopping for me? Why?"

"I just said you were out of food."

"You know what I mean. You didn't have to do that."

"I know."

He rolled his shoulders once, sighed, and then gave her a sweet smile, "Thanks."

"No problem", she turned to the vegetables on the counter and then peaked over her shoulder, "I hope you like vegetables."

"Of course, a growing boy needs his greens, right?"

She giggled playfully, and open the fridge to stuff the carrots and lettuce in the bottom drawer. Claire popped back up to put the milk away and was slightly startled when Leon appeared next to her and lightly touched her hand. Color rose to her cheeks as he carefully, and convincingly suggested, "Why don't you let me put the rest of that away?"

She nodded and turned on her heal to sit on the couch like a good girl. Maybe he hadn't seen that she was red all over.

Leon called across the room, "How much do I owe you?"

She turned to him surprised but amused and replied, "Not a damn thing."

"You sure? I could pay you back."

"It's cool, Leon, really." She tried to sound casul, but she was still blushing madly.

"There has to be something I can do to pay you back."

"Nothing at all."

"Damn, you're stubborn", he remarked, but she pretended not to here him. He thought a little longer and asked a minute later, "How about I take you to a party?"

* * *

Sorry about not updating sooner.

-colorsOFtheINFINITEsky


	5. Can't Stay Away From You

_

* * *

_

"You've got the kind of loving that can be so smooth."

-Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas

* * *

_**Six years earlier...**_

_Claire had been on the road for hours. Even though she liked the idea of skipping her humanities exam and was enthralled by the experience of the wind in her auburn hair, this trip was becoming more of an annoyance with each mile that passed by._

_Chris left a message on her answering machine, telling her simply that he was leaving, not to look for him and that he loved her. He couldn't have honestly thought she would just sit around and do nothing, that she wouldn't have been worried? It just wasn't like him to go and disappear to do something important without filling someone in on his intentions. Quite frankly, she was slightly insulted. If he was in trouble, why_ didn't _he want her help? Claire knew from the moment she heard the message and revved the engine of her motorcycle that she had to find him to get the answers._

_So Claire Redfield set out for the bustling, industrial metropolis of Raccoon City._

_She passed the road sign telling her that the city was only a half mile away almost too fast, but she didn't need a sign to tell her she was close to finding the answers. It did bother her, however; something didn't feel right. First, where were all the cars? For such a populous city it was odd to not see any member of the 'population' out on the road, especially since it was only 9:43 in the evening._

_She also had a problem: while she knew her brother was a cop in the S.T.A.R.S division of the RPD, she didn't know where the hell the police station was. Her whoahs were on the way to being cured, when she spotted a diner in the distance: Emmy's Diner. Claire pulled up next to the entrance and scowled at a couple of rats that jumped off an adjacent trash can, but a smile creased her lips as she realized that she was one step closer to finding Chris._

_"Ah, I'm finally here," she said to no one in particular as she pulled her helmet off. She wung her right leg over the seat and proceeded to enter the diner._

_Upon opening the door and walking in, she noticed that no music was playing, no drunkards occupied the bar stools, and it seemed to be just as deserted as the highway was._

_"Hello?" She started strolling casually towards the back, "Is anyone here? Hello?"_

_Claire suddenly heard a strange noise in the back, a slurpping sound that made her skin crawl, but she kept walking. Behind the counter on the floor a man was slumped over something. and she realized that the disgusting slurping (and now crunching) noises were coming from him._

_"Erm, hello?"_

_The man suddenly stopped and turned slowly to her. Claire gasped at his grotesque face and distorted features, and felt her heart race as he rose off the floor to grab her._

_She began to back away, "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you, okay? Just don't come...any...closer!"_

_He let out a moan as he extended his arms._

_"Are you listening!?" she gasped as she hit the window. Claire spun around and to her horror discovered two more people just like him scratching and drooling on the glass. She shieked and frantically looked around for an exit. To her left, she saw the back door and the green sign telling her that her salvation was just on the other side. Forgetting reasoning with the man...thing...she sprinted for the door._

They're not human...but dear God, what _are _they!?

_She pushed the metal door open and gasped again to find she had come face to face with the nozzle of a gun._

_Claire threw her arms up to defend herself, "Wait, don't shoot!"_

_He tensed up and shouted, "Get down!"_

_She instantly hit the ground and covered her head as the boom of a handgun bullet sped past her and landed right between the eyes of her pursuer. Claire spun, mouth open, to see it's motionless body and then turned back to her savior and his outstretched hand._

_His eyes were full of shock, but his demeanor was nothing but serious. "We can't stay out here, get to the police station; it'll be a lot  
safer." He motioned with his head from her to come on. Without hesitation, she grasped his hand and they ran._

_Behind them, Claire heard the creatures moan. They came to the mouth of the alley and more were coming out from behind buildings and from under cars. The man looked around nervously, and suddenly shouted, "There!"_

_Claire turned and followed him to an abandoned police car in the middle of the road. She was relieved to find the door unlocked and the keys in the ignition. Claire climbed into the passenger side, letting her companion do the driving. One of the monsters hit the back of the car as he started the engine._

_"Buckle up!" he commanded._

_"Okay," Claire replied trying to hide the panic in her voice as he floored the car and sped down the now congested road._

* * *

_They passed more creatures as they picked up speed. He appeared to know where he was going, but his calm facade faltered as he began to mess with the radio communicator. Claire turned to him, hopeful he was as knowledgeable as he came off as being._

_She watched him turn the dial and then asked,_ "What's going on? I arrived in town and the whole place went  
insane...!"

_"Great! The radio's out!"_

_Sweat trickled down his face as he sat back in his seat. Claire noticed his badge and asked an obvious question with a strong, seroius tone of voice, "You're a cop, right?"_

He glanced at her and responded in the same tone, "_Yeah, first day on the job. Great, huh?" he faced her then and his next statement was kinder, calmer, " Name's Leon Kennedy, nice to  
meet you." _

_"Mine's Claire. Claire Redfield," she shifted in her seat, "I came to find my brother, Chris."_

_Leon swerved so hard around the next corner that Claire had to grip the seat to keep from smashing into the window. She would have questioned his driving ability under different circumstances, but all she cared about now was getting to the police station._

_He looked sideways at her, mostly keeping his attention on the road, and asked, "Hey, could you check the glove box?"_

_"Sure," she said as she reached for the latch. Inside, there was nothing but a handgun, "There's a gun inside."_

_Leon looked relieved, "Better take it with you."_

_Claire aimed the gun at the window, practicing innocently how to hold it. Leon was a about to say something else when he all of a sudden felt something gripping the seat._

_Claire let out a sheik as one of the creatures from before tried to pull her in the back seat._

_"No!" Leon shouted as he spun the wheel and hit an skidded alongside a building._

_"Watch out!" Leon swerved to the other side and then reached around to the back seat and punched the creature in the face. It let go of Claire and hit the back seat hard, but it was not phased . Claire screamed and threw her arms in front of her face again, and Leon did the same as the came to a crashing halt into a road sign. The creature flew through the windshield and was impaled on the sign which stated that the police station and their hope was only another left turn away._

_Leon reached out to put a hand on Claire's arm and asked, "You okay?"_

_She fell back in her seat with a sigh and turned to him with a sarcastic, flirty smile, "Still in one piece."_

_He smiled too, and Claire almost turned red at how alluring it was. A loud crash behind the car and a nervous glance in the rearview mirror caused his grin to fade, and turned into an expression of terror._

_Barreling down the road was a huge tanker truck coming right at them!_

_"That maniac's gonna ram us!" He saw the driver slump over in the seat and Leon's slowly rising panic filled the air as he shouted, "Run!"_

_They both grabbed for the seat belts that had just saved their lives, scrambling to unfasten them, and jumped out of the car as the tanker exploded on impact and separated them with a wall of fire._

_Leon was on his knees on the ground gasping for breathe; he rolled over and stood up to see the huge fire._

_"Claire!" he shouted, worried she had been engulfed in the flames._

_His heart stopped short as he heared a hasty reply: "Leon!"_

Thank God, she's alive.

_"I'm okay! Head to the station!" he calmly exclaimed seeing that there was no need to reach her-she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. "I'll meet you there!"_

_"Okay", she replied, shielding her eyes from the intense heat, but in her heart, she was afraid. She knew that somehow, it was important that she reach him, so she boldly kept going._

**They were separated by an inescapable destiny, but this was only the beginning of their worst nightmare.**

* * *

**_Present Day_**

Leon leaned again the wall and sighed. Ashley could be _so_ nerve-racking sometimes.

She and a group of her over-sexed college girl-friends were glancing at him every once and a while and turning back around to giggle. Obviously, she was bragging about how he had saved her life in Spain and they were so _in love _with each other after their horrific, life-changing experiences with the evils of the underground, European Las Plagas cult. Ridiculous.

Would she ever learn that he was doing his job? The kind, innocent flirting meant nothing, at least not to him. Maybe he put her on? God, knows he certainly hadn't meant to; this whole thing was most likely his fault, but he had refused her right after she asked, so why was she being so persistent still?

Ashley waved at him and he half-heartily waved back at her with a fake grin.

_I'm sorry, Ashley, I don't feel the same way. I might have...maybe...someone..._

Leon glance around the Hall and upon discovering that the person he was looking for wasn't there, he walked up to Erin and Ralf at the entrance checking off names and checking out unwanted guests. Ralf stood like statue, large and in charge, while a frail, aging Erin shifted her weight to the other hip every so often out of boredom. Leon actually felt sorry for them. Having to keep the paparazzi and the suicide bombers out of the building had to have been difficult since he was sure they would rather not do Ashley any favors, but a binding contract and damn good salary kept them at the President's daughter's heels.

"Hey, Erin!"

The little old lady in her Sunday best turned to Leon with a smile as she checked off the name of yet another college couple. "Oh, Leon," she instantly saw the worry in his face, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Erin, has everyone on the guest list showed up yet?"

She glanced at her clipboard, "No, not everyone. I think there are at least two more couples and...," she squinted at a name scribbled down at the bottom, "another one of Ashley's friends...that have yet to arrive. Why do you ask?"

Leon rubbed his neck, "No reason, just curious."

"Are you...expecting someone?" She raised both of her gray eyebrows.

"No."

* * *

The taxi driver was anything but sympathetic of Claire's schedule. She nervously twisted a strand of loose hair as the driver stopped at another traffic light.

_He could have made that green light._

Claire leaned her head on one arm with a sigh and check her watch.

_9:45. Great, I'm late._

She glanced at the driver who was idly thumbing threw a newspaper, ignoring the fact that twenty cars behind were blaring their horns in frustration. Claire unbuckled her seat belt, reach in her pocket, and threw a ten in the drivers lap. She got out of the car and slammed the door as hard as she could.

The driver rolled down the window and yelled, "Hey, missy, you no pay me my twenty dollars!"

Claire kept walking but threw the guy the finger as she turned the corner. Where did they get these guys?

* * *

Claire walked another half block before she had to bend over to massage her feet. She wished that she had decided against the heals, but since she bailed on Rebecca for the last two days, the woman was entitled to pick out her wardrobe. Rebecca had been all but cooperative when Claire burst through the door begging for her help.

After a brief you-don't-appreciate-me-you're-a-bad-friend speech, Rebecca agreed to help her. They spent about and hour on her hair-which was dumb considering that it ended up being a messy bun with a few curls-and another twenty minutes throw clothes around Sharron's room (how could a woman so butch have such nice clothes?) before finding a very _interesting _little number: a long, black, show-offish dress. There was a very suggestive slit that came up to right below the thigh, held together with a gold pin. Claire, of course, had immediately objected, but somehow Rebecca had convinced her to at least try it on.

Now she was strutting-because of the heels-towards the White House for a party that she was sure she wasn't originally invited to. How did she expect to even get through the door? No doubt they would mistake her for a newspaper or gossip magazine reporter and just send her on her way without even letting her explain. Or perhaps they would just shoot her; that always works.

Claire rounded another corner and was amazed at what she saw: T.V. news crews, crowds of well-dressed paparazzi, and armed men were gathered out on the front lawn of the White House. She approached the huge iron gates and the man leaning up against it taking names. A man hiding a camera in his jacket was turned down with a flick of the guard's wrist, as well were a couple of paparazzi pretending to be on the list. Claire approached the gate and the man turned to look at her with a frustrated glare.

"Name."

"Um...Claire Redfield."

The man suddenly hestitated, then slowly looked up at her. Claire cringed a little at his crooked smile.

"Did you say, _Claire Redfield_?"

"Y-Yes?"

His grin spread, "So she really _does_ exist..."

Claire tilted her head to one side. But before she asked if she was allowed in, the gaurd hit the buzzer.

"Have a nice time, Miss Redfield."

The devilish smile never left the man's face as she walked past him.

_"Man that guy's _weird_."

* * *

_ The main lights in the hall dimmed slowly, giving way to the strobe lights and disco ball to create a scene ideal for dancing. Ashley shot a quick glance at Leon who eyed her suspiciously. He noticed most of her friends dancing (grinding) the night away with their dates, and suddenly, he wanted to throw up.

_"If she thinks she's going to get me to dirty dance with her or whatever, she's dead wrong."_

Ashley casually but quickly approached Leon who groaned to himself. She pushed through the crowd-almost knocking some guy into the desert table-and came to a complete and ungraceful stop in front of her favorite bodygaurd. Her enthusiasm and confidence was profound judging from the goofy smile she wore.

"So...Le...on...how..is...the...party?" She unnecessarily spoke loudly over the music which made the experience all the more un-enjoyable considering just the sound of her voice irked him to no end.

"Fine!" He shouted even louder hoping she would get the hint before he had to be mean to her.

"Oh...well...," she took a glance back at her friends and then turned to Leon again, "I...was...wond..er...ing...if...you...might...want...to-"

"Hey, dude, check out that babe that just walked in the door," an intern commented to another. Even over the music _and_ Ashley's voice, which he had tuned out, he heard the rookie speak loud and clear.

"Yeah, what...a...knock...out!" The other intern replied.

Leon stared past Ashley, the dancing crowds,the guards, ignored the music, Ashley's chatter, the interns laughter, and watched time stand still. She stood just in front of the over-sized doors, hair pulled back in a messy but sexy bun while filling out a tight-fitting-especially around the chest, flowing, elegant but definitely show-offy black dress. He couldn't believe his eyes:_ that_ was Claire Redfeild.

She was absolutely stunning.

The man of twenty-seven felt himself blush for the first time in years. But Leon did not care about the facade-developed over six years-as it faded away. His success, obligations, job, and even his manhood did not matter as much in that moment as his current goal: getting to _her_. It was an impulse, a drive that propelled him past a protesting Ashley and through the crowds obscured by their quick movements in front of the strobe lights.

He moved in slow motion as he approached her.

Claire, disoriented-he guessed-by the people, the lights, and probably the whole situation let her carefully crafted features become a crumple of confusion. He could tell that she was unhappy, reluctant about even considering his request, and was ready to call the whole thing off. It was vital that he reach her before her delicate hands touched the handle to leave. But he became uneasy as he noticed that he was moving too slow, and she too fast it seemed.

Leon's heart rate increased; he could feel it banging noiselessly on the walls of his chest. She started to turn around to face the door.

He wanted to call out to her, to make her stay, but she had already glided to the door. Leon paniced.

She push carefully on the door, and Leon almost shouted at her, thinking he was still far away when he realized he was coming up behind her. Leon reached out for her and she froze as one hand slide down to her waist and the other folded over her hand. He felt his body press against hers, and she shuddered in surprise.

His charming voice was in her ear in the next second, "Going somewhere?"

* * *

**Sorry, I haven't updated in forever, but school has me REALLY busy lately. I promise to update quicker next time!-colorsOFtheINFINITEsky**


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